made himself agreeable to that gentleman, and afterwards
tried to do the same with Miss De Stancy. At this the captain, to whom
the situation for some time had been amazingly uncomfortable, pleaded
some excuse for going out, and left the room.

Dare continued his endeavours to say a few polite nothings to Charlotte
De Stancy, in the course of which he drew from his pocket his new silk
handkerchief. By some chance a card came out with the handkerchief, and
fluttered downwards. His momentary instinct was to make a grasp at the
card and conceal it: but it had already tumbled to the floor, where it
lay face upward beside Charlotte De Stancy's chair.

It was neither a visiting nor a playing card, but one bearing a
photographic portrait of a peculiar nature. It was what Dare had
characterized as his best joke in speaking on the subject to Captain De
Stancy: he had in the morning put it ready in his pocket to give to the
captain, and had in fact held it in waiting between his finger and thumb
while talking to him in the Platz, meaning that he should make use of it
against his rival whenever convenient. But his sharp conversation with
that soldier had dulled his zest for this final joke at Somerset's
expense, had at least shown him that De Stancy would not adopt the joke
by accepting the photograph and using it himself, and determined him to
lay it aside till a more convenient time. So fully had he made up his
mind on this course, that when the photograph slipped out he did not at
first perceive the appositeness of the circumstance, in putting into his
own hands the role he had intended for De Stancy; though it was asserted
afterwards that the whole scene was deliberately planned. However, once
having seen the accident, he resolved to take the current as it served.

The card having fallen beside her, Miss De Stancy glanced over it, which
indeed she could not help doing. The smile that had previously hung upon
her lips was arrested as if by frost and she involuntarily uttered a
little distressed cry of 'O!' like one in bodily pain.

Paula, who had been talking to her uncle during this interlude, started
round, and wondering what had happened, inquiringly crossed the room
to poor Charlotte's side, asking her what was the matter. Charlotte had
regained self-possession, though not enough to enable her to reply, and
Paula asked her a second time what had made her exclaim like that. Miss
De Stancy still seemed confused, whereupon